Darkmist's Destiny
by Silverfrost of IceClan
Summary: A red-eyed kit that was always neglected. An apprentice going long lengths trying to please her parents. A warrior killing cats she rivaled, getting praise, her parents never knowing. Finally, a murderous leader, the one cat she loved is now her enemy.
1. Prologue

Allegiances

**MoonClan**

Leader - Windstar - Brown tom with a black stripe across his back and pale blue eyes (3 lives left)

Deputy - Starlingfoot - Dark brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Medicine Cat - Dappleheart - White she-cat with gray spots and yellow eyes

Medicine Cat Apprentice - Shinepaw - Pale ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Warriors -

Tawnyfur - Black and tawny tom with amber eyes (Apprentice: Leafpaw)

Dustclaw - Pale gray tabby tom with dark green eyes (Apprentice: Bluepaw)

Sandshine - Pale ginger she-cat with tan stripes and amber eyes

Willowheart - Light brown she-cat with a black front paw and yellow eyes

Swiftstorm - Brown tabby she-cat with light green eyes (Apprentice: Stormpaw)

Darkstorm - Black tom with amber eyes (Aprentice: Tigerpaw)

Iceblaze - White tom with yellow-golden eyes

Sunstripe - Ginger tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Flamefur - Ginger tabby tom with pale green eyes

Whitewater - White she-cat with dark green eyes (Apprentice: Birdpaw)

Queens -

Nightflower - Black she-cat with yellow eyes

Breezeheart - Dark gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Dovefeather - White she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices -

Tigerpaw - Dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes

Bluepaw - Blue-gray tabby tom with green eyes

Leafpaw - Pale ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Birdpaw - Dark gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Stormpaw - Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Kits -

Ashkit - Black tom with yellow eyes (Parents: Nightflower and Darkstorm)

Darkkit - Black she-cat with vivid red-amber eyes (Parents: Nightflower and Darkstorm)

Blackkit - Black tom with amber eyes (Parents: Nightflower and Darkstorm)

Ravenkit - Black she-cat with one amber eye and one yellow eye (Parents: Nightflower and Darkstorm)

Graykit - Gray tom with one blue eye and one green eye (Parents: Breezeheart and Dustclaw)

Duskkit - Pale gray she-cat with green eyes (Parents: Breezeheart and Dustclaw)

Elders -

Settingsun - Cream colored she-cat with green eyes

Heatherpelt - Cream colored she-cat with violet eyes

Wildfur - Dark brown tom with fur sticking straight up, a stripe over one eye and yellow eyes

**Prologue**

"Dappleheart? Are you all right?" A pale ginger she-cat prodded the squirming cat. "Dappleheart! Wake up!"

"Shinepaw!" Dappleheart's eyes flew open. "There is a prophecy! _Blood and hatred will destroy and cover the moon, but only the untamed wild fires of endless storms can help stop it from growing!_"

"Blood and hatred? StarClan just sent you that prophecy?" Shinepaw's eyes widened.

"Yes. It means we should watch out for anything related to blood. Maybe a kit with a red pelt?" Dappleheart suggested.

"No. There's only ginger. Ginger is the closest to red," Shinepaw mewed.

"Could it be fro another Clan? There's a Redheart from TreeClan," Dappleheart mewed.

"She's very nice! There's no possible way she'd want to destroy MoonClan," Shinepaw protested.

"Never mind then. Keep this a secret, Shinepaw. Don't tell anyone, not even Starlingfoot or Windstar, all right?" Dappleheart mewed.

"I won't tell anyone. Are there any possible suspects?" Shinepaw asked, her eyes clouded with worry and uncertainty.

"It could be any cat with any type of red in their pelt or something," Dappleheart sighed. Suddenly, both medicine cats heard a pained yowl from the nursery.

"Nightflower! She's kitting!" Shinepaw gasped as she raced out of the medicine den. Dappleheart followed behind, her jaws clamped with the necessary herbs.

**END OF PROLOGUE**

The chapters will be posted soon! Please review them :) Thank you for reading!

~Silverfrost of IceClan


	2. The Four Kits

**CHAPTER ONE**

"You are almost there, Nightflower. Push!" Dappleheart mewed, calming the kitting queen. One by one, four kits slipped into the nest. "Shinepaw! Hurry and lick them, then go and find Darkstorm."

Shinepaw obeyed, licking all the little bundles of fur until they showed small signs of life. She left them to suckle beside Nightflower's belly and shot off, almost crashing into the MoonClan deputy, Starlingfoot.

"Starlingfoot! Have you seen Darkstorm? He has four healthy kits!" Shinepaw mewed, her tail getting bushy from all the excitement.

"He should be coming back soon. I sent him on the sunhigh patrol," Starlingfoot told the medicine cat apprentice. Shinepaw padded around the camp entrance urgently. When she finally saw Darkstorm's black pelt, she burst with news.

"Darkstorm, Darkstorm! You have four kits, two toms and two she-kits!" Shinepaw mewed quickly. Darkstorm thrust his large rabbit into Tawnyfur's surprised jaws and raced into the nursery, leaving Shinepaw coughing in the dust.

When Shinepaw finally appeared in the nursery several moments later, Darkstorm was purring almost endlessly.

"We should name this one Darkkit. She has your glossy pelt," Nightflower murmured, touching her nose to the little lump of fur curled at her belly. Darkkit's pelt shone almost as brightly as Darkstorm's, even though it was fluffy and not sleek.

"This one should be Ashkit. He reminds me of ashes after a fire," Darkstorm nudged another black bundle of fur.

"I wonder how we will be able to tell them all apart," Nightflower sighed. All four kits looked completely identical.

"We know that Darkkit will have the glossiest pelt, of course. Ashkit has a very, very fluffy tail," Darkstorm purred at the tom, whose tail was quite noticeably fluffier than his other three siblings.

"Okay, then. How about Blackkit for this kit?" Nightflower touched her nose to another ball of fur.

"And Ravenkit for this one?" Darkstorm nodded, accepting Blackkit's name. Nightflower, in return, accepted Ravenkit. Ravenkit was smaller than the two toms but slightly bigger than Darkkit.

"Darkkit may be the smallest, but I know she'll become a great warrior," Pride burst out of Darkstorm's voice. "Nightflower, I'll go and get you something to eat."

"All right," Nightflower purred as she nuzzled her kits fondly. Darkstorm soon returned, followed by Starlingfoot and Windstar.

"They will make strong warriors. These four kits are a wonderful addition to MoonClan," Windstar nodded in approval.

"With Nightflower's blood and mine, they will become wonderful hunters and fearsome warriors," Darkstorm boasted, his chest held high with pride.

"Of course, Darkstorm," Nightflower purred.

"They look extremely healthy," Starlingfoot purred. It was not common to have kits so healthy at the start of leaf-bare. "I hope they survive leaf-bare. It would be a great shame to lose them."

"They are strong kits. They will survive leaf-bare," Breezeheart, who was expecting her own kits any day, mewed.

"Windstar, Starlingfoot, Darkstorm. If you will please leave, Nightflower needs to rest," Dappleheart mewed with deep respect at the leader, deputy, and warrior. The three cats nodded and left the nursery, leaving the new queen and her kits.

**END OF CHAPTER ONE**

Please review! I enjoy getting feedback on how my stories can be better :) Thanks for reading!

~Silverfrost of IceClan


	3. The Kit with the Red Eyes

**CHAPTER TWO**

It had been a few days after Nightflower's kits had been born. Breezeheart had her own kits, but one was stillborn, leaving only two kits. Dovefeather's kits would be due in a moon.

"Come on, Darkkit! We've all opened our eyes except for you!" Ravenkit pawed her sister playfully. Darkkit mewed in protest, choosing to keep her eyes closed longer. "Mother won't let us go outside until you've opened your eyes.

"Hush now, Ravenkit. Let your sister decide when she wants to open her eyes," Darkkit heard Nightflower's voice from above. She heard three tiny sighs and knew they were from Ravenkit, Ashkit, and Blackkit. Darkkit wasn't ready yet, she wasn't ready to look at the world around her.

"Come on, let's play cat and mice! I want to be cat!" Blackkit's mew sounded above his siblings.

"You were cat last time!" Ashkit protested, obviously unhappy.

"Were not!"

"Were too!" Both Ashkit and Ravenkit mewed.

"Fine, fine. Ashkit, you be cat then," Blackkit grumbled. Darkkit heard the sounds of three kits squealing and thudding on the nursery floor. She heard something skidding straight into her. With a bang, Ravenkit had crashed into her sister. Darkkit's eyes flung open, staring straight into Ravenkit's amber and yellow eyes.

Ravenkit gave a squeak of fright and dove onto the other side of Nightflower. Darkkit was confused. What could Ravenkit be possibly afraid of? Darkkit looked up to Nightflower, whose amber eyes widened with fear and fury. Blackkit and Ashkit stopped play-fighting and scampered behind Nightflower in fright as well.

"Mother!" Darkkit forgot about her siblings being afraid of her. Nightflower's jaws bared into a hiss. Darkkit slowly shuffled backwards, unable to comprehend why Nightflower looked at her like that. "Mother..."

"Windstar! Will you please come in here right now?" Out of the corner of her eye, Nightflower spotted the MoonClan leader.

"What's wrong, Nightflower?" Windstar asked the furious queen. He followed her gaze to Darkkit who was at the corner of the nursery, her eyes filled with hurt and sadness that Nightflower didn't seem to accept her. Windstar gave a small gasp.

Darkkit wondered, _Why is everyone staring at me like that? What's wrong with me?_

"Red. Crimson red. Just like blood," Windstar murmured.

"Windstar, what are you doing in the nursery?" Darkstorm asked, curious to see why the leader staring at his kit. Darkstorm followed Nightflower and Windstar's gaze to stare into Darkkit's eyes. They were crimson, so vividly amber they appeared to be as red as blood.

"Red eyes..." Darkstorm mewed in disbelief.

"They are considered bad luck. Dappleheart told me so," Nightflower growled. Darkkit had never seen her mother so fearsome, now she shrank back even more in attempt to be away from the pairs of eyes that belonged to her family, the queens, and Windstar. "I won't let her near me or my kits."

"Now, now, Nightflower. Even Dappleheart can be wrong sometimes," Darkstorm mewed, though he did seem scared of his kit.

"I'm not letting her near me, my other kits, or you," Nightflower mewed firmly. Darkkit's gaze lifted from them and onto the ground, shame burning from her dark pelt.

"How will she survive then? Nightflower, I need you to see reason as to why we must keep her," Windstar mewed. "She has your blood. And Darkstorm's. Are you both related to any cat that was bad luck?"

"I still refuse," Nightflower growled, turning to face her leader.

"No cat will be able to care for her. She still needs milk," Darkstorm mewed, casting a slightly worried look at his daughter.

"Fine. I will give her milk, but that's all. She will have to have her own nest," Nightflower was coming close to a snarl. Windstar sighed, knowing that he can't push the stubborn queen any further.

"I'll get some moss and feathers from Dappleheart," Windstar mewed dismissively. Darkstorm followed his leader. Darkkit sank into a small little heap at the corner of the nursery, unable to look at her kin.

Windstar returned, a mass of moss and feathers in his mouth. He gently placed it beside the red-eyed kit before padding away. Darkkit pawed at the moss, trying to make it comfortable for her. She climbed into the nest and aligned the feathers. She sank into the nest, knowing that the warmness of her mother would never accompany her anymore.

Nighttime approached slowly. Darkkit's littermates had begun to suckle milk. Darkkit slowly padded out of her nest and edged slowly to her mother, careful not to meet her eyes. Darkkit saw her mother's paw push the three kits closer to her, leaving a space for Darkkit.

Darkkit suckled milk, knowing the moment wouldn't last long. Before she was completely full, she saw her siblings had finished so she did too, hurriedly crawling back into her nest sadly.

**END OF CHAPTER TWO**

Please review! I'll try to update everyday :) Thank you all for reading!

~Silverfrost of IceClan


	4. First Catch

**CHAPTER THREE**

It had been three moons since Nightflower had rejected Darkkit as her kit. Darkkit still lived in her nest but she didn't have to suckle Nightflower anymore. Dovefeather's kit, Snowkit, had been born two moons ago and she always played with Darkkit's other siblings. Darkkit was always jealous of Ravenkit, Blackkit, and Ashkit. Not only they did not have red-amber eyes, they were accepted by all the members of the Clan.

Darkkit felt desperate to prove that she wasn't bad luck. She wanted to be with Nightflower and she wanted to be accepted. Darkkit padded out of the nursery, in search of a way to prove herself. There were no warriors in the center of the camp at the moment so Darkkit decided it was safe to venture out into the forest.

She stared in awe at the newly sprouted grass and the leaves appearing on the trees. Darkkit spotted a huge rabbit munching on some grass some fox-lengths away. Darkkit had seen the apprentices practice the hunting crouch and she had practiced it herself until she was sure she had mastered it.

Darkkit creeped to the rabbit, making sure her dark fur was well hidden by the tall grass. She was careful not to step on any leaf or make any movement with her tail. Darkkit lunged at the rabbit and killed it with a bite to the throat. She felt triumph surge through her. Not even a new apprentice would possibly catch prey this big!

Darkkit began to drag the rabbit back to camp. It was hard work, as the rabbit was bigger than she was. She spotted Starlingfoot at the entrance to the camp.

"Starlingfoot! Please help me!" Darkkit mewed. Starlingfoot turned and walked in Darkkit's direction.

"Darkkit! Why are you..." Starlingfoot stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the small kit try to drag the huge rabbit. "Did you...did you catch that rabbit?"

"Yes, I did!" Darkkit purred with pride.

"That's a very...big rabbit. Here, let me help," Starlingfoot bent down and picked up the rabbit. She could just barely get her jaws around the rabbit's neck. Starlingfoot signaled with her tail to Darkkit and the kit followed the deputy back into camp.

"Starlingfoot, that's a wonderful rabbit. Why is Darkkit with you?" Windstar had padded out of his den, his eyes widening with surprise.

"Windstar, Darkkit caught this rabbit," Starlingfoot mewed.

"What?" Windstar exclaimed, his eyes so wide Darkkit was afraid they would explode. "She's only three moons old!"

"I don't know how she possibly did it but she caught it. See?" Starlingfoot showed the small teeth marks in the rabbit's throat.

"That is almost unheard of! No apprentice has ever caught a piece of prey this big, and on the first try!" Windstar mewed. Darkkit looked down, blushing but still she was filled with pride and happiness.

"Nightflower! Come and see what your daughter has caught!" Windstar mewed into the nursery. Darkkit shuffled uneasily, wondering how her mother would react.

"What? A ball of moss?" Nightflower mewed boredly, until she saw the gigantic rabbit.

"She caught this rabbit all by herself. No one helped her catch it," Starlingfoot informed the shocked queen. "She might not be bad luck after all." Darkkit looked up hopefully but instead, Nightflower's amber eyes were cold.

"It's probably just luck. Any kit would've got a rabbit on their own," Nightflower mewed icily. Darkkit looked down again, drooping her ears. "The rabbit probably froze in terror because of her eyes." Darkkit's head shot up again, this time glaring at her mother. Darkkit's red eyes were filled with hatred and anger, but mostly frustration. She looked very threatening, even though she was just a kit.

Nightflower glared back at her kit as she turned and went back into the nursery, taking Ravenkit, Blackkit, and Ashkit with her. Darkkit unsheathed a paw and clawed at the dirt, using small movements to express her anger.

"Darkkit, why don't you take this rabbit to the elders? They will be happy to have such a grand feast," Starlingfoot gently nudged the kit. Darkkit nodded and proceeded in dragging the rabbit to the elders' den, all sense of happiness and pride gone.

"That's one big rabbit!" Heatherpelt mewed in surprise. "Darkkit, did you catch it all by yourself?" Darkkit nodded as she dragged the rabbit further into the den.

"Thank you so much," Settingsun purred, nuzzling Darkkit. The elders were among the few cats that didn't care that Darkkit had red eyes.

"This rabbit is delicious, and there's enough to let all of us to have a wonderful meal!" Wildfur bit eagerly into the rabbit. Darkkit regained a bit of happiness. Settingsun was the closest cat to her and Darkkit had always wished that she had been her mother, not Nightflower.

"Come on, Darkkit. You should have some too," Heatherpelt gently nudged the kit forward.

"Are you sure? I don't want any of you to starve," Darkkit mewed, but her rumbling stomach betrayed her words.

"We are sure! Now, come and eat with us," Settingsun purred as Darkkit took a big bite of the rabbit, purring in happiness. The three elders and Darkkit shared the rabbit. For once, since she had left Nightflower's nest, Darkkit felt truly happy.

"You will make a brilliant hunter, Darkkit," Wildfur purred as he licked his lips.

"Thank you. I'd better go now," Darkkit mewed, blushing.

"Please come and visit us soon!" Settingsun and Heatherpelt both mewed as Darkkit left the elders' den.

It was nightfall and by then, news had traveled that Darkkit had managed to kill a rabbit. Warriors now looked and treated her the same as other kits, only with much more respect. Other than Nightflower and Darkstorm, every warrior was proud of Darkkit, knowing that they had gained a wonderful hunter.

The apprentices also respected Darkkit, regardless of the fact that she was much younger than most of them. They sometimes taught her hunting and battling moves. They would even invite her to join them during meals.

Even the kits looked up to her with respect, other than her siblings; they always sneered at her and thought she was showing off, though secretly they all wanted to be like her. Graykit, Duskkit, and Snowkit always begged Darkkit to teach them hunting crouches and battling moves.

Even though she was much more accepted by the Clan than she was three moons ago, she was desperate to also be accepted by her family.

"Don't mind her. You are all better than her, but you just choose not to show it. I know one day you will beat her, not now, but someday. Someday soon," Nightflower always mewed to her jealous kits, instantly making them feel better. But, no matter how much the three kits tried, they never got to catch any prey before reaching six moons old.

**END OF CHAPTER THREE**

Please review! :) Thank you so much for reading! New chapters will be posted daily!

~Silverfrost of IceClan


	5. Gifted

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Darkkit spent the next three moons in happiness. Darkkit spent most of her time either talking and learning from apprentices or listening to stories from the elders. She had caught yet another rabbit, two mice, and a squirrel in total. The Clan, except for her family, were overjoyed with having such a gifted hunter.

It was the day Darkkit turned six moons old. Darkkit was jolted awake by the sounds of warriors bickering outside the nursery.

"No, I want Darkkit." "I'll train her better!" "I'm the best warrior, every apprentice trained by me is a fearsome warrior and outstanding hunter!" "Darkkit is already an outstanding hunter, but I can make her the best hunter in the forest!" Darkkit heard as she pressed her ear to the wall of the nursery.

The warriors were all fighting to get her as an apprentice! Darkkit thought all the warriors were good, but who would be good enough to train her?

"Silence! The kits can't be disturbed," Windstar hissed. Silence fell immediately over the clearing.

"Starlingfoot will have Darkkit, and that is final," Windstar decided. Darkkit let out a sigh of relief and happiness. She was going to be trained by the deputy! Again, she had an edge over her siblings. Darkkit turned to them.

Ravenkit had twigs and dirt on her tangled fur. She had been trying to catch prey last night but failed, as always. Blackkit's pelt was dusty and ruffled because he had made Tigerpaw practice battle moves with him. Blackkit had lost within seconds but demanded to keep training. Ashkit's pelt had a few small bugs crawling in it. He had tried to climb trees as fast as Darkkit but it resulted in him falling into a nest of bugs.

Darkkit's pelt, however, always remained glossy and sleek. She had learned to groom herself at an early age, while Nightflower still groomed Ravenkit, Blackkit, and Ashkit. Darkkit groomed her pelt now, she knew that her apprentice ceremony would be coming soon, and she wanted to be prepared for it.

Once the dawn patrol left, Darkkit crept out of camp, wanting to catch something delicious. Darkkit had been in the forest many times. She knew the paths almost as well as an apprentice. Darkkit suddenly heard wings flapping. _A sparrow__!_ Darkkit thought to herself. Darkkit looked up slowly, careful not to make her movements too big.

A plump sparrow was sitting on a branch. It would make a perfect meal. Darkkit turned toward the tree the sparrow was on. She unsheathed her claws and dug them into the bark, making as little sound as she can. Darkkit crept up the tree until she was directly under the sparrow.

Darkkit loosened her hold on the tree and leapt at the bird, grabbing it in her mouth. Darkkit purred at herself for bringing down her first flying animal. Darkkit smelled that a mouse was near as well. She buried the sparrow in the ground and set off to kill the mouse.

The dawn patrol came back before sunhigh. By then, Darkkit had caught a sparrow, a mouse, and a squirrel. The warriors carried her catch to the Clan. Darkkit had again, stunned all members of the Clan.

Darkkit settled in her nest again, knowing that it would be the last time she would be there. Darkkit began grooming the dirt, leaves, and twigs that were caught in her fur. Within moments, most of them were gone.

Nearby, Nightflower was trying to groom all three of her kits at once. Darkkit hid a smirk, it would be impossible to groom all three kits right before the ceremony and make them look clean enough. Darkkit knew she would shine above her kin.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey gather beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" All cats heard Windstar's yowl. Darkkit licked her fur once more and padded out to the clearing, her head held high.

"Darkkit, Ravenkit, Blackkit, and Ashkit. Come forward, please," Windstar mewed once all the cats were gathered beneath a high rock.

"Darkkit, you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to be apprenticed. From this moment on, until you are given your warrior name, you will be known as Darkpaw," Windstar mewed. Happiness shone from Darkpaw's eyes, though now they have turned from amber to red. "Starlingfoot will be your mentor. Starlingfoot, you have learned a lot from Heatherpelt and I hope you pass all your knowledge to your new apprentice."

Darkpaw and Starlingfoot touched noses. Starlingfoot, other than Darkpaw herself, was also a very gifted warrior and hunter but she didn't catch her first prey until her second attempt as an apprentice.

"Ravenkit, you have also reached the age of six moons and are ready to be apprenticed. From this moment on, until you are given your warrior name, you will be known as Ravenpaw," Windstar began the ceremony again. "Willowheat will mentor you. Willowheart, you have proven yourself to be a great warrior. Riverheart taught you well, and I hope you pass all your skills onto Ravenpaw."

Ravenpaw and Willowheart touched noses as Darkstorm and Nightflower purred happily. They had remained stone cold and not a hint of emotion had entered their eyes when Darkpaw was made an apprentice.

"Blackkit, you have reached the age of six moons as well and are ready to be apprenticed. From this moment on, until you are given your warrior name, you will be known as Blackpaw," Windstar began yet another ceremony. "Sunstripe will mentor you. Sunstripe, MoonClan values your good strategies and I hope you pass everything you learned from Fallingclaw to your apprentice."

Blackpaw and Sunstripe touched noses as Blackpaw's parents purred once again.

"Ashkit, you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to be apprenticed. From this moment on, until you are give your warrior name, you will be known as Ashpaw," Windstar began the last apprentice ceremony. "Flamefur, you will be mentor to Ashpaw. I hope you pass all of your good hunting skills and battle skills to Ashpaw."

As Ashpaw and Flamefur touched noses, everyone started cheering and calling the new apprentices by their new names.

"Darkpaw! Ravenpaw! Blackpaw! Ashpaw!" The cats cheered. Not once did Mightflower and Darkstorm cheer for Darkpaw, but cheered loudly for their other kits.

"This meeting is now over," Windstar dismissed the cats.

"Starlingfoot, what are we going to do first?" Darkpaw asked excitedly. Starlingfoot seemed very, very happy to have been given Darkpaw as an apprentice and Darkpaw was equally as happy.

"Seeing as you are already quite a skilled hunter and know the forest quite well, we'll practice battle training with Swiftstorm and Stormpaw," Starlingfoot mewed to her apprentice as she led the way out of the camp, catching up with Swiftstorm and her apprentice.

"We've come to join you for battle training, if you don't mind," Starlingfoot mewed to Swiftstorm.

"Of course you can join. Ravenpaw, Willowheart, Bluepaw, and Dustclaw will be there too," Swiftstorm told the deputy and Darkpaw. Darkpaw felt a bit unhappy because out of her three siblings, she disliked Ravenpaw the most.

"Okay, Darkpaw. Whenever you are in a sitting position and a cat has jumped towards you, this is what you must do in order to get away safely," Starlingfoot led Darkpaw to the battle training hollow. She skidded across the clearing, swiping her sheathed paw at an invisible warrior's belly.

"The underbelly is a warrior's most vulnerable spot. If you manage to claw them there, you'll be able to win the battle," Starlingfoot told Darkpaw. "I'll try it on you."

Starlingfoot leapt at her apprentice, teeth bared and claws sheathed. Darkpaw immediately slid across the clearing, swiping at Starlingfoot's underbelly with sheathed claws.

"Very good," Starlingfoot purred approvingly. "Now, if there is a cat directly in front of you but is facing the other way, you can jump on their shoulders to bring them to the ground."

Starlingfoot taught Darkpaw more and more battle moves. Darkpaw listened very intently, not wanting to miss out on a single detail.

"Starlingfoot, is Darkpaw ready?" Willowheart mewed to the deputy. Ravenpaw smirked at her sister. Darkpaw still wasn't quite as tall as Ravenpaw but she was much faster.

"Yes, she is. Come over here, Ravenpaw," Starlingfoot mewed to the apprentice. Ravenpaw padded to Darkpaw, her tail and head held high with arrogance.

"Remember, claws sheathed, and no ferocious biting," Starlingfoot warned the two she-cats. Bluepaw and Stormpaw had come over to watch. Immediately, Ravenpaw purred at the sight of Stormpaw. Darkpaw rolled her eyes.

"Ravenpaw!" Willowheart snapped, bringing her apprentice back into reality. Ravenpaw's pelt burned with embarassment as she faced her sister. "You may now begin."

The two she-cats circled each other, occasionally letting out a hiss or a snarl. Ravenpaw obviously wasn't focusing completely on Darkpaw, she always purred at Stormpaw. Darkpaw took this as an advantage. Once Ravenpaw wasn't focused, she lunged at her sister.

Only when Darkpaw was directly in front of her did Ravenpaw notice. She let out a squeal of surprise as her sister crashed onto her. Immediately, Darkpaw had her sister pinned down.

"Good job, Darkpaw," Starlingfoot purred at her apprentice while Willowheart glowered at Ravenpaw.

"Let's now try Darkpaw and Bluepaw," Dustclaw suggested. Starlingfoot nodded in agreement. Darkpaw was uneasy. Bluepaw was going to become a warrior any time now and he was much, much bigger than Darkpaw.

Again, the two cats circled each other, never taking their eyes off their opponent. Suddenly, Bluepaw flew at Darkpaw. Darkpaw only just got away by jumping. Instantly, Darkpaw tackled the older apprentice. The two rolled about in a mass of blue-gray and black fur until Darkpaw finally pinned down the apprentice, breathing heavily.

"It seems like we have a gifted fighter as well," Starlingfoot mewed finally, after a long silence. Darkpaw got off Bluepaw, whose eyes shone with surprise. It was not usual for an apprentice, an apprentice almost a warrior, to be defeated by an apprentice who had only just started training.

Darkpaw felt happy and joyful. She had beaten her sister and an older apprentice. Darkpaw hoped that soon, she will become the best warrior in the forest.

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

Please review! Thank you so much for reading this far :) New chapters will be posted daily!

~Silverfrost of IceClan


	6. Revenge

**CHAPTER FIVE**

It had been two full moons since Darkpaw had been made an apprentice. Graykit and Duskkit were now Graypaw and Duskpaw. Soon, Snowkit would be joining them in the apprentices' den. Bluepaw had become a warrior, with his name changed to Blueclaw. Stormpaw had also become a warrior, his name now Stormflight.

Sandshine had moved into the nursery, she was having Sunstripe's second litter of kits. The first litter included Leafpaw and Shinepaw. Darkpaw and Leafpaw were good friends, but soon, Leafpaw and Tigerpaw, who was Swiftstorm and Windstar's kit, would be becoming warriors.

When Starlingfoot told Nightflower and Darkstorm about Darkpaw's hunting and battling abilities, they still didn't show a shred of emotion for the red-eyed cat. Nor did Dappleheart. Being the Clan's medicine cat, she had always believed that cats with unusual eye colors were bad luck, especially to the Clan.

"Nonsense, Dappleheart! Ever since Darkpaw was born, we've gained a fearsome fighter with probably the best hunting abilities in the entire Clan!" Settingsun would mew to Dappleheart if she mentioned it.

"Don't you remember Fadingfire or Fadingstar? He almost completely destroyed MoonClan!" Dappleheart would insist. Darkpaw had heard of the tale many, many times from the elders. Fadingfire was a bloodthirsty tom cat, with vivid red eyes. He soon took over MoonClan and had almost destroyed it, if it had not been Hawkflight who had killed him. Hawkflight had become Hawkstar, he was the father of Windstar.

Darkpaw had a feeling that the medicine cat didn't trust her. At all.

Darkpaw woke every morning to catch the dawn patrol, then she joined the moonhigh patrol at night. No matter what weather condition it was, Darkpaw strived to make her parents pleased. Darkpaw would catch every prey that moved when they were on patrols. Sometimes she caught so much that the entire patrol had to carry it all back to camp.

Darkpaw fought fearlessly. If she happened to be on a border patrol when there was a border fight, she would always win, no matter what warrior or apprentice dared to challenge her.

"Dappleheart, Shinepaw, Dustclaw, Willowheart, Tawnyfur, Darkstorm, Nightflower Swiftstorm, Iceblaze, Flamefur, Stormflight, Darkpaw, Leafpaw, and Tigerpaw will accompany Windstar and I to the Gathering tonight!" Starlingfoot announced, as night fell. Darkpaw felt a rush of happiness. She was going to attend her very first Gathering!

Ravenpaw, Blackpaw, and Ashpaw were furious. They had been quite happy that Darkpaw didn't go to the first two Gatherings but the thought of her being there without them made the three siblings filled with hatred and jealousy.

"What about the other apprentices?" Nightflower mewed to the deputy, also unhappy that her other three kits wouldn't be going.

"They will go next time," Starlingfoot assured Nightflower. "Nightflower, I'd like to talk to you for a moment. Will you come with me to the forest?"

Darkpaw was interested in what the deputy might be saying to her mother. She followed them out of the camp to the forest.

"Nightflower, I don't get why you dislike Darkpaw so much. She will not turn out like Fadingstar," Starlingfoot mewed to Nightflower.

"That's none of your business, Starlingfoot. She has red eyes, I don't trust her. Not even a single bit," Nightflower mewed coldly.

"You should be proud of her. She is the first kit ever to catch a rabbit so big, and on her own. She defeated Blueclaw and even me during training. Darkpaw is also fancied by a tom. She has a bright future in front of her and you shouldn't ruin it," Starlingfoot mewed. Darkpaw's ears twitched. She was being fancied by toms?

"And which tom will that be?" Nightflower asked, her tail lashing.

"Stormflight, of course. Have you seen how many times he asked her to join him on patrol?" Starlingfoot mewed. Darkpaw's eyes widened. Stormflight was nice, he was one of the first cats to treat her normally. He was also a brilliant fighter.

"Starlingfoot, you must be getting old. You know perfectly well that Stormflight likes Ravenpaw, not that red-eyed piece of fox dung," Nightflower mewed. Darkpaw could imagine her mother rolling her eyes. She felt energy surge through her. Hatred and anger rippled through her pelt.

"Ravenpaw may like Stormflight, but Stormflight likes Darkpaw. He's never interested in Ravenpaw," Starlingfoot mewed, her voice getting louder.

"Stormflight just doesn't show it. Darkpaw would never be fancied by any tom. She would always remain what she is, a monster," Nightflower mewed firmly. Darkpaw couldn't take it anymore. She slowly padded back to camp, her pelt burning with hatred, and another emotion. She felt her claws sheathe and unsheathe. As she passed a small lake, she saw that her red eyes were burning, just like fire. Energy made from the anger rushed through her pelt.

Darkpaw felt ready to kill. She lashed out her anger by killing several mice, three voles, and a squirrel. By then, most of her anger was gone but she still felt like she needed to take revenge on her mother.

Darkpaw decided to take revenge to the next level. Darkpaw had found some stale fox dung that a fox had made many, many moons ago. Darkpaw wrapped it carefully in leaves and entered the camp. No one was in sight, they were all hunting or getting some sleep.

Darkpaw padded quietly to Nightflower's nest. She lifted most of the moss and put the leaf bundle in it, squishing it and covering the whole nest with more moss to cover the scent. Darkpaw slipped out of the warriors' den and took two mice to eat. The sunset patrol came back soon.

"Darkpaw, can I eat with you?" A voice sounded above Darkpaw's head. She looked up into the bright blue eyes of Stormflight.

"Sure," Darkpaw nodded. Stormflight had a large, fat rabbit with him. Darkpaw's mouth watered but she fixed her eyes on her mice instead. Stormflight must've seen Darkpaw staring at his rabbit, because he purred with amusement.

"This rabbit is probably way too big for me. Want some?" Stormflight pushed the rabbit towards Darkpaw, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Are you sure?" Darkpaw asked, though she was already edging toward the rabbit.

"Go ahead," Stromflight mewed. Darkpaw took a huge bite of the rabbit, feeling a warm glow inside of her. They traded turns eating the rabbit until it was completely gone.

"Thanks for sharing your rabbit with me," Darkpaw mewed, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"No problem," Stormflight mewed. After Starlingfoot had mentioned that Stormflight liked Darkpaw, Darkpaw had barely thought of anything else. Maybe, just maybe, deep down inside, Darkpaw had also had feelings for the dark gray warrior.

**END OF CHAPTER FIVE**

Please review! I find reviews very helpful :) Thank you for reading, I'll try to update whenever I can.

~Silverfrost of IceClan


	7. The Gathering

**CHAPTER SIX**

"MoonClan! Follow me to the Gathering!" Windstar yowled once it was nearing moonhigh. Darkpaw cast a smirk at her jealousy-filled siblings before padding off, her head and tail held high. Leafpaw bounced around beside her, obviously giddy with excitement.

"I can't believe we are going to our first Gathering!" Leafpaw squeaked like a kit. Darkpaw rolled her eyes, a bit annoyed by her friend's slightly immature personality.

"I bet we'll get to go to lots more, especially after we become warriors," Darkpaw mewed. "It's great to finally be able to see all the other leaders and deputies and medicine cats!"

"StreamClan's leader is Longstar, right?" Leafpaw mewed as they got closer to the Gathering area.

"Yes, and SkyClan's leader is Spottedstar, I think," Darkpaw mewed. "TreeClan's leader is Nightstar, I'm sure of it."

"Don't you mean Shadowstar?" Leafpaw purred with amusement at her friend's mistake.

"Well shadows and nights are basically the same thing! It's easy to get them messed up," Darkpaw felt embarrassment shoot through her pelt.

"It's not good to get the names messed up in a battle, Darkpaw. Shadowstar and Nightfire are brothers, looking completely identical, except for the white tip on Nightfire's tail," Starlingfoot mewed to Darkpaw.

"Nightfire! Isn't he one of the greatest warriors of TreeClan?" Leafpaw mewed.

"Yes. He has fought many battles and killed many cats, including some cats of MoonClan," Starlingfoot mewed. It was easy to say that TreeClan and MoonClan were dead-on rivals.

"Which cats did he kill?" Darkpaw mewed. Nightfire seemed like a deadly warrior.

"Hawkstar was one of the cats," Starlingfoot mewed, her eyes burning with hatred. Leafpaw and Darkpaw stared at each other, their jaws hanging open. A warrior was strong enough to kill a Clan leader? "You two better go and socialize with some of the other apprentices. Make sure not to get too close to TreeClan apprentices, especially the older ones. Don't tell any apprentice something that will make us look weak."

MoonClan had arrived at FourStones. Windstar leapt onto the huge stone, greeting Spottedstar with a nod. SkyClan and MoonClan were the only Clans present for now.

As soon as Darkpaw turned to greet some of the SkyClan apprentices, they backed away, staring at her red eyes with caution. Darkpaw gave a tiny sigh. She had forgotten about the color of her eyes for moons until now.

"My name is Darkpaw. What's yours?" Darkpaw mewed to a nearby apprentice.

"I'm Cloudpaw," The white she-cat replied. "You are from MoonClan, right?"

"Yes. So, how's your training going?" Darkpaw asked Cloudpaw. She was glad that the pretty white she-cat didn't back away.

"Oh, it's absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to become a warrior," Cloudpaw mewed.

"Same. Have you thought of what you want your warrior name to be?" Darkpaw asked. She was beginning to relax.

"There are so many names that could suit me. I've been thinking Cloudshine, or Cloudheart. Maybe Cloudfrost or even Cloudsong," Cloudpaw babbled away. "How about you?"

"I don't really mind. All I'm glad about is that my parents didn't name me Redkit, or I'd surely become Redeyes," Darkpaw purred with amusement. Cloudpaw nodded in agreement and purred too. Maybe having red eyes wouldn't be a complete nightmare after all.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Darkpaw heard a tom's voice yowl. It was Shadowstar. He motioned to Longstar, motioning him to start. Longstar nodded and began.

"Our Clan is blessed with the arrival of Violetheart's three kits, Whitekit, Littlekit, and Riverkit. We also have two new warriors, Fernpelt and Willowfur," Longstar mewed.

"Fernpelt! Willowfur!" All the Clans cheered.

"And also we have one new apprentice, Flamepaw!" After the cheering, he nodded to Spottedstar and the SkyClan leader began.

"Our two queens, Bluesky and Sparrowflight have been birth to five kits in total. We have one new apprentice, welcome young Sootpaw!" Spottedstar announced.

"Sootpaw! Sootpaw!" The Clans cheered as Spottedstar continued her report.

"We also have three new warriors, Firehawk, Tallfur, and Stripeheart!" After the cheering, Spottedstar motioned to Windstar.

"We have two new warriors and two new apprentices, Blueclaw, Stormflight, Graypaw, and Duskpaw!" Windstar announced. After the cheering had stopped, he continued.

"I would also like to remind all Clans that the borders have already been set, and if any Clan feels the need to change them, MoonClan will fight," Windstar looked pointedly at Shadowstar, who curled his lip.

A few sunrises ago, Shadowstar's warriors had demanded that they wanted to move the TreeClan border further into MoonClan territory. Starlingfoot had reasoned with the TreeClan deputy, Thornwhisker, but Thornwhisker had decided not to take it yet. Both patrols had left without a fight.

"We have two new apprentices, Swiftpaw and Yellowpaw," Shadowstar announced. Only TreeClan cheered for the new warriors. TreeClan was never on very good terms with the other Clans.

"Also, we have one new warrior, Jaggedfang," Shadowstar announced before the Gathering broke up.

"See you, Darkpaw!" Cloudpaw mewed to her friend.

"Bye, Cloudpaw!" Darkpaw mewed to the white apprentice before following Windstar and Starlingfoot out of FourStones and back into the MoonClan camp.

**END OF CHAPTER SIX**

Thank you for all the reviews! Please review this chapter as well! Thanks for reading :)

~Silverfrost of IceClan


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